This invention relates to electrical switches and more particularly to solid state high speed, high frequency, wide bandwidth switches for switching signals between several switch terminals in a matrix pattern, wherein there is a basic switching mechanism that relies on controllable phase shifters.
Heretofore, the basic mechanism employed in electrical switches has been a mechanism which conducts or blocks signals either mechanically or electrically. In semi-conductor switching devices such as switching diodes, the low impedance and high impedance characteristics of the diode provided by the forward bias and reverse bias conditions, respectively, are used as the switching mechanism. These conducting and/or blocking devices are inserted in the signal paths in series, shunt or combinations of both to form, in general, a single Pole N Throw (SPNT) (most commonly, a Single Pole 3 Throw -- SP3T), Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) or Transfer Switches. The function of each of these switches is limited to the switch action (pattern) as its name implies. Therefore in order to realize more intricate switch patterns such as a matrix switch pattern, two or more of these switches are interconnected often by external cables crossing each other.